Brushless electric machines are found in many motor vehicles powered today. These electric machines, also referred to as alternators, produce electricity necessary to power vehicle accessories, as well as to charge a vehicle's battery. Electric machines must also provide the capability to produce electricity in sufficient quantities to power a vehicle's electrical system in a manner that is compatible with the vehicle electrical components. Furthermore, electrical loads for vehicles continue to escalate while, at the same time, the overall package size available for the electrical machine continues to shrink.
Conventional brushless electric machine components lack a sufficient magnetic circuit to achieve higher power densities and require expensive drive end bearings due to their support system. In addition, they do not have internal cooling needed to supply electricity at these higher demands and therefore have larger package sizes. Accordingly, there is a need for a higher power density system having a more robust support structure that does not require expensive bearings and an improved magnetic circuit with internal cooling capabilities to enable higher power densities in a reduced package size.